Funnel cake is a regional food popular in North America at carnivals, fairs, sporting events, and seaside resorts. In some carnivals, theme parks, and resorts, etc. there are funnel fries.

Funnel cakes are made by pouring batter into hot cooking oil in a circular pattern and deep frying the overlapping mass until golden-brown. When made at concession stands, a pitcher with an integral funnel spout is employed.

In North America, funnel cakes were originally associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch region.

In south German cuisine the equivalent is called Strauben and is made and served similarly. In Slovenian cuisine they are called flancati (Slovene pronunciation: [ˈflantsati]). In Finnish cuisine the analogous tippaleipä is traditionally served at May Day (Vappu) celebrations. In the Indian subcontinent a similar dessert is called jalebi which has a somewhat chewy texture with a crystallized sugary exterior coating; in Iran this would be known as zulbia and is a popular dessert.